DepEd partners with Globe for Adopt-A-School program

Globe showcases the mobile digital laboratory package that each public school under the Global Filipino School Program receives for teaching engagements. Among those present during the Adopt-A-School program partnership activity and GFS launch are Lemuel Dayo, Principal of Sico 1.0 National High School, San Juan, Batangas; Yoly Crisanto, Globe SVP for Corporate Communications; and Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO).

The Department of Education (DepEd) has tapped Globe Telecom as an official partner for the Adopt-A-School (AAS) program, which enjoins all private entities to assist public schools in areas such as infrastructure, health and nutrition, teaching skills development, computer and science lab equipment and learning support.

Globe responded with its Global Filipino School (GFS) program, a long-term education initiative designed to transform select public schools into centers of excellence in Information and Communications Technology and innovative teaching methods.

“We need all the help we can get from the private sector so that our public schools, especially the less privileged ones, may still receive assistance outside the mainstream funding and the national budget. Thus, we are glad to see a big company like Globe showing concern and desire to improve the status of education in the Philippines. We hope that this will further inspire other companies to join this undertaking,” said Tonisito M.C. Umali, DepEd Assistant Secretary for External Partnerships Service.

The AAS program caters to less privileged schools with limited resources but have very large student population. Most of them experience classroom shortage, insufficient textbooks and instructional materials and overcrowding. Schools in low-income municipalities but have high performing students are also given consideration.

Globe is targeting at least 221 public schools representing the 221 DepEd school divisions nationwide by end of the five-year expansion period. By the end of the year, Globe expects the GFS Program to be implemented in 60 untapped divisions in the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Davao regions representing 60 schools with combined student population of about 90,000.

Under the program, schools are provided with unparalleled online connectivity to give homeroom teachers access to limitless teaching and learning engagements available on the Internet that will help further improve their craft and make learning fun and interesting for the students.

The schools are also given a Globe Digital Laboratory package containing netbooks/tablets, mobile projectors, and WiFi dongles while teachers are trained on ICT education and project-based learning through the GFS Master Teachers Workshop and Online Coaching Course. All schools under GFS are intended to become teacher training hubs and training partners of the DepEd Division Offices in conducting teaching workshops for neighboring schools of each division.

To complement the GFS Program, Globe recently launched the GFS Library which offers over 1,000 educational e-books appropriate for K-12 learning to benefit over 15 million public elementary and high school students and some 500,000 public school teachers nationwide.

GFSLibrary.com is a web-based platform that provides free and quick access to digital story books for children and young adults as well as textbooks on core subjects such as Math, Science, English, Filipino, Music, Arts, among others. The ebooks may be opened via their desktop, laptop or mobile device using any basic ebook reader.

For TM and Globe prepaid and postpaid customers who want to help public school students achieve their dreams, cash donations may be sent by texting GFS to 21580437 (0GFS) and following the instructions in the text messages. The general public, on the other hand, may deposit any amount to BPI Habitat for Humanity Philippines, Inc., Account No. 2421-0037-45. For inquiries, please email [email protected].